California public health officials announced Friday that 14 people have now been diagnosed with Enterovirus D-68, a respiratory virus that has sent children to emergency rooms across the country. Out of the 14 cases, there were no cases confirmed in the Central Valley.
"We can't prevent something from arriving here but what we can do is make sure our patients are as protected as possible," said Zara Arboleda, spokesperson for Children's Hospital Central California.
So far, the virus has affected children ages ranging from 11 months old to 15 years of age in the state, epidemiologist Dr. Gil Chavez said. Mild symptoms include sneezing, runny nose, coughing, fever and muscle aches. Health officials say symptoms can escalate for children with asthma, triggering severe wheezing.
Even though doctors say the disease has been spreading at a slower rate compared to other states, it has reached eight counties including cases in Los Angeles and the Bay Area.
With the virus expanding throughout the state, hospitals including Children Hospital Central California, say they are taking necessary precautions.
“We can’t prevent something from arriving here but what we can do is make sure are patients are as protected as possible,” said Zara Arboleda, the hospital’s spokesperson. “Anyone who comes into our hospital is screened for basic respiratory problems.”
The hospital doesn’t just rely on screening.
“A lot of the symptoms are similar to other problems like influenza so the only way to truly identify whether a patient has Enterovirus D-68 is for them to get tested specifically for that. So far we’ve had no cases of that.”
State health officials say the respiratory illness may be linked with paralysis. But, doctors say they are still trying to investigate more about the association between the two.
Out of the 14 cases in the state, one patient had suffered paralysis in Los Angeles.
“This is an extremely rare syndrome,” said Dr. Carol Glaser of the paralysis case, who’s the interim chief for the immunization branch of the state’s Center for infectious Diseases.
State doctors also announced on Friday that out of 35 patients tested for acute flaccid paralysis since 2012, ages ranging from 5 months to 73 years, only three have been tested positive for Enterovirus D-68.
State doctors say more information about the possible link between the virus and paralysis should become available in the upcoming weeks. Currently, there's no vaccine or specific treatment for this virus.
List of EV-D68 cases in California:
Alameda County: 2
Los Angeles County: 2
Riverside County: 1
San Francisco: 1
Santa Cruz County: 1
Solano County: 1
Ventura County: 1
San Diego County: 5
